Embattled Respublika journalists targeted in Kazakhstan

New York, February 6, 2013--Authorities in Kazakhstan should cease harassing
the staff of embattled independent newspaper Respublika, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

The newspaper was one of several publications targeted
by Kazakh authorities and shut
down in December on politicized anti-state and extremism charges, according
to CPJ research and news reports. Respublika, which still operates a
website, has changed its title several
times over a period of years to continue publishing despite prosecutions
and official harassment.

Both Tuesday and today, Almaty prosecutors came to the
newsroom of Ripablik, the current successor
newspaper to Respublika, and handed staffers
official warnings that the individuals are banned from publishing, the
Almaty-based press freedom group Adil Soz reported.

According to press reports, the journalists started Ripablik in January. During their raid
today, prosecutors told them they are banned from working together or
publishing, based on the November
case against Respublika and dozens
of other news outlets. On Tuesday, they also threatened journalist Tatiana Trubacheva,
Respublika's former chief editor, with
criminal prosecution for an alleged violation of the December verdict against the
newspaper, Adil Soz reported.

"This is the latest chapter in Kazakhstan's long-running
persecution of Respublika, a news outlet that fills the important need
for critical news coverage and commentary," said Europe and Central Asia
Research Associate Muzaffar Suleymanov. "Authorities in Kazakhstan should abide
by their public commitment to press freedom by halting this campaign of
intimidation against Respublika and other critical news organizations."

Kazakh authorities targeted dozens of independent and
critical news outlets shortly after the country was elected
to the United Nations Human Rights Council in November. The crackdown was
linked to critical reporting on the December
2011 deadly clashes between protesting oil workers and police in the
western town of Zhanaozen, CPJ
research shows.

According to Respublika's
website,
prosecutors could not explain the legal connection between the December ruling
against the newspaper and the journalists' decision to start a fresh publication
a month later; neither could they list any violation committed by the new
paper. In an interview
with local journalists today, Tamara Kaleyeva, head of Adil Soz, accused the
prosecutors of targeting the journalists based on their profession. It is a
violation of the law to arbitrarily add new media outlets to a previous
verdict, she said.